Myself and my two brothers completed this hike on our own, no guides, by reserving a shuttle from a tour company that offers the guided tours. We requested a 4:30am departure, it took 45mins to reach the start of the trail, and another 4 hours to reach the summit. The views are spectacular and incomparable!The hike should take close to 5-6hrs but I believe that is because many people are carrying overnight packs. As well, we got lost a couple times on the way up because we did not have a guide, but doing it again I still would go alone. Its strenuous because of the altitude and can be extremely windy. Check weather before attempting, but defiantly attempt it! Good Luck!If you want to go alone, please feel free to contact me and I can help guide you on the turns. Its actually quite easy...
This was a great trip from Antigua. I gambled and went with a bus outfit that were advertising in the main square. The bus trip was rough and long. We were not warned that an armed security guard was travelling with us; only found out half way through the trip. Anyway, the mountains were a great experience and was one of the highlights of my time in Guatemala.
We booked our overnight hiking/camping trip with GT Adventures. Please note: we discovered after chatting with our group that people had booked with different tour companies, and we were all getting the same trip, for VERY different prices. One person on our trip was paying $40 less than we were . . . so shop around!The hike is difficult, but as the other reviews state, if you have a good level of fitness you will be fine. I would recommend a good pair of hiking shoes/boots as some people on our trip were in sneakers and having a hard time with the terrain. We arrived early enough to set up the tents, relax and have a camp fire before heading to bed. Volcan Fuego next door was pretty active when we were there and was giving us a good show all night. The early morning to finish the climb to the top of Acatenango was worth every step.Overall we were really happy with this trip. It was well organized, the food was good (we asked specifically for vegetarian) and we were offered a cup of wine for around the camp fire. The tent we were in had 5 people, but we were comfortable enough considering the circumstances. The temperature wasn't too cold and there was no wind, but of course the ground can be pretty hard and lumpy. We ended up staying in Antigua longer than planned, just to do this hike and were not disappointed.
Recently went on the overnight hike of Acatenango with OX and cannot recommend it highly enough. OX did a great job. From the pre trip briefing where they made sure everyone had appropriate gear and clothing, they didn't miss a thing.I've seen a lot over the years but have never looked eye to eye with an erupting volcano before.The hike alone was fantastic but sitting around a camp fire, hearing the thunderous roar as the volcano spews molten rock into the night sky and then watching it flow down the side of the mountain was probably the most amazing thing I've seen in natural...truly unmissable.As for the guys at OX? Big thanks to our guide Jake. Very knowledgeable and interesting guy. Constantly aware of how everyone was doing and helped out big time with advice about altitude adjustment. Great guy. With a well established camp site, great food, great company, my only regret? That I didn't do the Double Whammy and climb both volcanos.Worth every cent, if you go to Antigua, you'd be crazy not to go with these guys.
Nice little hike up a little hill, nothing too stressful, very pretty views when it wasn't covered in clouds. VERY cold and windy, so take warm clothes
Although the hike is not easy (especially towards the end - a lot of scree), it is totally worth it. The view at the top at sunrise is absolutely breathtaking - as are the small eruptions of the Fuego. (Make sure you pack enough water - many of our group members did not)
My boyfriend and I did the 8 hr Acatenango hike with a local registered tour guide, and it was a great experience. The hike is challenging, but very rewarding with great views. There are couple of other hiking tour agencies in Antigua (O.X. Outdoor Excursions and Old Town Outfitters). But we ended up going with a local tour guide, since the tour agencies were asking for a minimum of four hikers. With a local tour guide, you really do feel the local culture.The local tour guide speaks Spanish only and lives in La Soledad, matter-fact the entrance to the hiking trail is behind his house. Hector Quino picked us up from Antigua at 5 am and invited us to his humble home, where he lives with his six children, for breakfast. (Charges 15 Quetzales per person) After having our breakfast we started climbing up. My boyfriend and I each carried a camelbak with 3L of water, snacks, and lunch. There are several breaks and rests in between, approximately every 20 mins, depending on how fast you want to go. We reached the summit at noon and were done by 4pm. The tour guide took us back to Antigua, and we were in our hotel by 5pm.The only main concern I had was walking on the gravel terrain near the end of the steep slope. Basically, you take one step forward and take a half step backward it's sort of like running on sand. Overall, I would highly recommend the Acatenango volcano hike if you are in Antigua. The local tour guide charged us total of 800 quetzales for the two of us, 400 quetzales for the ride both ways, and 400 quetzales for two hikers (200 quetzales per hiker). 800 quetzales is about $105 dollars. We gave Hector a nice tip for his work. He does the hiking tour about 4-5 times per week, so he knows the volcano very well and is in great shape. Hector is a registered tour guide and a family men - he is very humble so don't worry about any safety concerns. In case if you are interested you can reach out to him at 502-532-75-084
I loved the challenge of the hike, the efficiency of Old Town Outfitters, the views from the rest stops, the eruptions of neighboring El Fuego volcano (VERY active on our trip!) and the staff at Old Town Outfitters.
It was a long hike, but totally worth it. The view from up there is something out of this world. We could see the Volcan de Fuego erupting. It's a wonderful experience. I'm going to hike more often there. I didn't get enough of this place. Love it!
The hike is long, challenging, excellent exercise and very worth the time and energy. We did the 2-day hike: day 1 approx 5hr hike from starting point to campsite/base camp with adequate rest stops arriving around 4:30pm, then a hiked down and up Fuego for the sunset another 3 hours. day 2: woke at 4am to summit Acatenango. Wonderful views all around. It was very cold and windy at the camp and through the night, be prepared, while we brought appropriate cold weather outdoor gear - several people in our group were sorely under-prepared and suffered. Research different adventure tour groups. We went with GT adventures from Antigua mainly because they were flexible on the start date (left next day), they were overbooked and provided "food, sleeping bag, tent". If you want to go with them, you will carry your own gear and water and food (everything except tents). They provide sandwiches and fruit, no hot food. Suggest bringing your own water and soup packet and your own coffee. Upside - friendly guides, downside - you will not have your own tent and there was insufficient sleeping space/cramped sleeping space, sleeping bag cleanliness was questionable (if you can bring your own) and too thin. We hardly slept with the tent flapping in our face/against us in a cramped tent and it was very cold. Other tours companies may provide porter and different services. We suggest companies pool together to include a clean-up fee for the mountain and have a local guide/horse ensure all trash is packed out - the poor gorgeous Acatenango is becoming a dump at the campsite - this could be easily rectified with a little organization. Suggest maintaining a latrine facility at the campsite. Overall the views and hike were tremendous and would recommend.